A Scholar's Hero
by Child of Entropy
Summary: Nim secluded herself to a life of study and separated herself from others after her world was destroyed when she was younger. Her favorite story has always been the one about the mythical "Keyblade Hero". When she meets her hero, will she join him on his journey, or will she push him away like she does everyone else? Sora x OC - Rated T for the heck of it.
1. Nim

Child of Entropy here!

So, I mentioned in my _Log Horizon_ Fic that I loved Kingdom Hearts. Well... Hi! I know some of you really want me to continue with Atsuko's story on the _Log Horizon_ Fic, but I'm having some trouble. Now, being as I am obsessed with Kingdom hearts and have been planning this Fic in my head for a while, I think the chapters are going to roll out pretty fast. Please, once you read it, tell me what think of this Fic. Not my other one. Just this one. Please?

And please, if you are not going to be nice, then don't leave a review. Positive vibes only, please. If you like it, wonderful. If not, well, the link to home page is up in the corner.

Disclaimer: I do own Kingdom Hearts, or any characters within it's universe. Only my OC belongs to me. Everything else belongs to the geniuses back in Square Enix HQ!

* * *

Chapter 1 -

"Where is it?" The girl said as she rummaged through the piles of books and papers, beginning to regret her habit of never cleaning up after herself. Seeing a small glint in the corner of her eye, she turned to examine it, only to trip over her long scarf. She huffed in annoyance, pushing the crimson locks of hair that fell over her face with a quick breath.

She stood; brushing herself off and turning to look for the reason she tripped, throwing her scarf over her shoulder to avoid that situation again. She dug threw a few books to become excited at the sight of her treasure that she was looking for. The item in question is a simple heart-shaped silver locket. She pressed the item close to her chest before letting out a breath of relief, as she thought she had lost it. She quickly clipped it around her neck, caressing it before she heard the door open on the lower floor. "Nim?" The soft feminine voice called for the girl.

The girl, Nim, looked down at the lower floor to see the bane of her existence standing in the doorway, which was lit up with bright sunlight. Her light brown ponytail, tied with a pink ribbon, fell over her shoulder. She wore a salmon colored dress, with a belt separating the skirt and top, of which was spaghetti-strapped. "What do you want, Aerith?" The girl coldly asked as she avoided looking in the direct sunlight. What she liked most about Traverse Town was its especially long nights, and subsequent short days, but Aerith only ever seemed to visit at the hours that burned her eyes. "I thought I told you not to disturb me while I'm studying."

"You're always studying." Aerith said sweetly as set down what looked like a plate with a sandwich and a couple of green onion stalks on the side, with a glass of water next to it. She closed the door behind her, relieving the other girl, only to make her suffer more by turning on the light switch. "If I didn't know any better, it was as though you study just to avoid me."

"Don't flatter yourself." Nim said as she walked down the iron spiraled steps to the first floor. "I don't like any of you, and I don't waist a thought on what could be ample time for studying." She said harshly before walking past Aerith and scooping up the plate of food and the water. Aerith sighed and shook her head, but smiled anyway. That was before she Nim's appearance though. "Nimue Vanstraughton!" The sound of her horrible full name made Nim cringe and turn around to glare at the older girl.

And Aerith glared at her in return. Nim is normally a very pretty girl, but she looks like an absolute mess right now. "Why can't you brush you hair?"

Her normally straight crimson hair is a tangled and frizzy mess from lack of care, the length of it going to down to her lower back because of her neglect to cut it. "I can't be bothered." Nim replied before biting into her sandwich.

"And your clothes?" Aerith gestured to the girl general form, which was certainly no better than her hair.

The slim, fifteen year-old girl wears a long-sleeved shirt, the silky midnight blue fabric hugging her waist before frilling out slightly at the hem, much like the end of her sleeves; every inch of it is wrinkled and there is a small tear above the naval. Her black pants are ripped at the knees, but Aerith isn't aware that this is on purpose, so she reprimands her for it as well. Her leather combat boots are also unlaced at the top, which is a safety hazard if she ever one. And not to mention that oversized gray scarf that the girl refuses to take off for reason that remain a mystery to her.

Nim sighed at the girl's comments on her appearance. She calmly set the plate and glass on a table next to her. She then closed her eyes, clapped her hands together two times, before raising them in the air. Aerith watches as the wrinkles in the girl's clothes and the knots in her hair straighten out by themselves, the rip in her shirt mended, and then as her laces on her boots tightened before putting themselves in a tight knot.

Nim opened her emerald green eyes and gave Aerith a sarcastic smirk. "Happy?" She then began to walk away.

Aerith sighed again and followed the girl. "That doesn't fix everything." Aerith said, making Nim turn around again in annoyance. Aerith grabbed her hand showed the girl her very pale skin. "When was the last time you went outside?"

"What year is it?" Nim jokingly remarked as she pulled her hand away. She turned around and began to search the shelves, as she decided she was going to continue to study, like she was doing before she realized her necklace was missing a few hours ago. "Is there any other reason you came here? Thanks for the food, if that was what you were waiting for." Aerith shook her head. Despite all her attempts to get closer with her, break her out of her shell, Nim always shuts everyone out. Leon even had a room built for her in the library when he gave up on trying to get her to move in with one of the older residents of the town, or at least Aerith and Yuffie.

"We had a visitor today." Aerith said with her usual sweet smile. Nim listened with mild interest as she began to pile a couple of books into her arms. "He said he was a king… from another world!"

"So?" Nim said as she waved a hand over her face, making her half-framed glasses appear over her nose so she can see better. She hates wearing them, but they are the price she has to pay for constantly reading in a dim-lit room. "I've read about many kings in my books, and I am already aware of other worlds." She said with disinterest as she reached up for a book on a higher shelf. "What makes him so special?"

"Because he was a _visitor_." Aerith said, making Nim pause before she reached her book. The girl looked at Aerith, who was smiling at her. "He came here on a Gummi Ship."

Nim's attention was now completely on Aerith. "What did he want?"

Aerith walked forward and tapped one of her delicate fingers on the top of the three books in Nim's arms. Nim looked down at the book that didn't have a title on the front, but the symbol that every scholar across the worlds, especially Nim, knows. The Keyblade.

Nim was ready to scream before she realized that this "King" must be some kind of fanatic, or someone who just wanted the mythical blade for his self. "What did he want from something like the Keyblade?" She scoffed. "Whatever it is, he is going to be severely disappointed."

"Why's that?" Aerith asked.

Amused, Nim laughed and shook her head. "Because the Keyblade is a myth!" Aerith scowled at the girl's lack of faith. "And even if it was real, it isn't something he can just pull out of a rock and claim as his. The Keyblade, in basically every book I have read, is said to choose its wielder; not the other way around."

"He knows that." Aerith said as she and Nim continued to walk, the latter continuing to survey the shelves for her books to study. "He's looking for the wielder."

"Why?" Nim asked, before coming to a realization that caused her to stop walking. "Come to think of it, what does any of this have to do with me?"

Aerith scratched her head nervously. "Well, we thought that maybe, if anyone might know how to find someone who could wield the Keyblade, it would be… you."

Nim sighed, hugging her books to her chest as she glared hatefully at Aerith. "Well." She gestured around her. "Where is this "King"? Does he think he's too good to waste his presence on a lowly mage?"

"Oh, no!" Aerith said quickly, but still with some hesitance. "He was actually a sweet little thing. It's just that… well…" She paused, trying to break it to the girl. "Well, Leon advised him against coming to see you in person, so he asked us to come speak to you after he left."

"What?" Nim said with total offence. "Why in the world would he advice against talking to me?"

"Well…" Aerith tried to put this nice. "You have been known to be rather… prickly. Especially when it comes to people you're not used to."

Nim was quiet, but the look on her face expressed all the rage that words couldn't "Prickly?" She said quietly, but then repeated it not so quietly. "Prickly?! When have I ever been like that?"

Aerith thought back on one event in particular. "There was that one time that Mr. Thomas came in here looking for a book on woodworking, and you chased him out using thunder magic."

"He wouldn't stop asking me stupid questions." Nim said in her defense. Before Aerith could rebuttal her with another example, Nim said. "No, I don't." Aerith questioned what she meant. "I don't know how we would find the _myth_ known as the Keyblade Wielder." Aerith looked at her with sad eyes as the girl began to walk up the stairs to the upper level. "If you have nothing else, please leave me alone. I'm very busy."

Aerith watched her continue up the stairs to the top, and just as she reached the top, Aerith said as she walked to leave. "We love you, Nim."

Nim paused as she heard Aerith open the door, and as she closed once she was outside. She sighed, shaking her said as she looked at her locket. "So you say." She said, stuffing the locket to hide it underneath her scarf.

* * *

Nim sat on her bed, reading through a book called _The Frozen Artes_. She has always excelled in magic, likely because of how much of a quick study she had always been. Her tutor called her a prodigy before her world was destroyed, and that was when she was only six years old. Ice magic has always been a challenge to her though.

Then a thought came to her mind.

She remembered a boy who used to tease her for this. He always to say that she was "and ice queen that can't even use ice." She grew somber at the thought, looking down at her hand. "Maybe I am 'prickly'."

She sighed, putting her hand over her forehead. "What am I saying? Who cares?" She snapped her book shut, standing to stretch her legs. "I don't need anyone else, and that is how it's always been."

She walked out of her room, looking around at the large selection of books that covered the shelves of the large library. "That's right." She said with a bitter smile. "All I need are my books." She frowned, reaching up to the spot where her locket is underneath her scarf. "People leave you, but books will always remain." Her lips curved up into a smile as she entertained a small fantasy she has always had. "I bet the Hero of the Keyblade would never leave me." She said with a small blush. She walked back into her room and picked up the book with the Keyblade on it from earlier.

She wasn't going to tell Aerith this, but she had read this book at least a hundred times. It is by far her favorite in the entire library. The book recounts legends told about the mythical hero of the blade shaped like a key. Said to hold the key the secrets of the heart, both literally and figuratively, the legendary Keyblade Wielder fights off the creatures that plague the worlds, the Heartless; which are made from the very essence of darkness.

"He jumps at the chance to save the worlds, even it were to cost him his life!" Nim recounted excitedly as she picked up a candlestick, pretending it was a Keyblade. "He is never in any danger, though, for his heart is made of light that rivals even the legendary Princesses of Heart."

She twirled around with the mannequin that she uses to practice her staff strikes on, pretending it was the mythical wielder. "He is a perfect gentleman, holding the not only the strength to vanquish evil, but also the passion and manners to treat a lady as if she were a Queen."

Nim giggled with enjoyment, before she stopped spinning, her smile slowly fading. She put the mannequin back on its stand. "But that's the thing, isn't it?" She said, putting her hand on the mannequin chest, before turning around and sitting on her bed, hugging her knees to her own chest. "You're just a myth, aren't you?"

She sat quietly for a while before lying her head down on her pillow. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, where she shall continue to dream about the hero she believes will never come to spirit her away on an adventure to save the worlds.

After all, that kind of thing only happens in books. Right?

* * *

Sora looked up at the little toy ship in his room, the dolls that Kairi made to look like the two of them respectively. " _I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great."_ Kairi's words from earlier rang in his head, and he smiled.

Then he noticed the storm beginning to brew out at the play islands. "Oh no! The Raft!"

Sora rushed out of his window quickly, unaware that his mother called him down for dinner. He rushed over to the docks and untied his boat, hurrying in his pace when rowing to the island.

Once he reached the island, Sora was shocked to see Riku and Kairi's boats tied to the dock, but even more when the creatures from his dream showed up and began attacking them. He saw one of his and Riku's wooden practice swords on the little dock, grabbed it, and attempted to attack the strange, bug-like creatures. To his dismay, his sword only fazed through them as if they were made of smoke.

Growing panicked as the creatures continued to attack him, Sora looked around for somewhere he could run. That is when he spotted Riku standing next to the Paopu tree. Sora immediately ran for his friend, only stopping for a second when he saw a strange white door in front of the secret place. He could worry about that later. Right now, he needed to get to Riku.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!" Sora quickly yelled out when he reached Riku, dismayed to find Kairi wasn't with him.

"The door has opened…" Riku said cryptically, not turning around.

"What?" Sora questioned, confused. What was he talking about?

Finally turning around, Riku said, "That door has opened, Sora!" He announced excitedly. "Now we go to the outside world!"

Sora shook his head. "What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku quickly said, shocking Sora with how rushed he sounded. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back." He continued. "We may never see out parents again. There's no turning back." He paused as he continued to look at the swirling storm of darkness above them. "But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

"Riku…" Sora said with fear in his voice as Riku held his hand out to him. That is when darkness suddenly sprouted from the both of them.

Riku seemed calm as ever, but Sora panicked for his and his friend's safety. Sora tried to reach and grab Riku's hand to help him, but the darkness soon swallowed them both.

After a second, a bright light suddenly engulfed the area. Once it faded, only Sora was there. Now though, he held a strange looking weapon in his hand. He didn't know why, but he could almost hear what sounds like a voice telling him what it is.

"Keyblade."

* * *

Well? Did you love it? Did you hate it? I know Nim seems kind of, well, "prickly", but she has good reason. Try not to get too mad at her, m'kay? Brownies to everyone who reviews _positively_ , and I will try to upload soon. Child of Entropy, out!


	2. Seeing Sora

Nim woke up when a sudden chill washed over her body. She coughed as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around for that glass of water from earlier and almost knocked it over in her hurry to drink. Once she gulped down the water, she sighed as she attempted to catch her breath.

"The darkness…" She said in shallow breaths as she slid down the wall. "That was a… strong one." She chuckled slightly, but she didn't know why. "Damn this sensitivity. It's going to be my death one of these days."

She stood, gaining her balance, then walked down the stairs. She walked over to the phone, which was among several others, that was labeled "S. Leon" and picked it up. "Squall. Are you there?" She received no answer. "Squall?" After yet another second of silence, she sighed in annoyance. "Leon?"

"Yes?" He said in his usual monotonous tone.

Nim shook her head at the man's stubbornness over something as silly as a name. Instead of focusing on it too long, she decided to just get to the matter at hand. "There was just a big influx of darkness. You and Yuffie may want to go out on patrol, see if anyone in town was hurt."

"Are you alright?" Leon asked, and if Nim didn't know any better, there was genuine concern in his tone.

She chuckled, but it sounded more like a scoff. "I'm fine." She then got back to the situation. "Whatever it is, it's massive, so be on the lookout for a higher level Heartless than usual."

"Right." He said simply before putting the phone down. Nim set the phone down and rested her forehead on nearest bookshelf. She sighed, trying to think if it would be possible for her to go back to sleep.

"Tch." She simply said as she slapped the book in front of her in annoyance. "It's a big one, so I might as well go help." She said, adjust her scarf, making both ends dangle behind her. "Stupid Heartless." She growled, grabbing what looks to be a silver scepter the length of her forearm, the end of it topped with a green gem, and what looks like the design of roses on the handle. "I'll show you for interrupting my nap."

She slammed her door open, her nerves now having been thoroughly put on end. Her home in the Second District is the only occupied place in the area, besides the Hotel and the recently inhabited loft being used to house those dogs that Leon has a bleeding heart for. The very few residents are due the fact that the Second District is the most infested with Heartless. But they don't scare her.

She looked both ways; left at the Gizmo Shop, right at the Hotel. There were no Heartless in sight… yet. She began heading right to make sure the First District would be all right. Right outside the door to the Hotel, three Shadow types appeared from the ground like they usually do.

The sight of them made her sick. They are the weakest and most common of the Heartless, but in great numbers, they can prove deadly. Her real home is proof of that. She swung her scepter, the gem swinging out, connected by some kind of metal thread, and reducing the three black demons to dark mist in the breeze.

The gem came back and clicked into place, and Nim continued about her business. Reaching the large door that goes into the First District, she pulled the massive doors open. On the other side, she almost ran into someone she didn't recognize.

"Oh… sorry." The boy said, laughing nervously as he ran his fingers through his spiky brown hair. Nim looked at his outfit, which looked like a red jumpsuit with belts and zippers to spare. The boy himself has bright blue eyes and sun-kissed skin, which completely contrasts the usual pale skin of locals to Traverse Town. Nim included. Nim began to walk past him, deciding he isn't worth her time. "W-wait!"

Nim stopped, turning to look at him. "What?" She asked with some venom in her tone, which seemed to intimidate the boy. "I don't have time to waste, so out with it already."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He straightened. "Have you seen my friends? The boy has silver hair and is wearing a yellow vest, and the girl…" He paused, looking at Nim. "She kind of looks like you, with the same color hair, but way shorter, and she's wearing a pink shirt and a skirt."

Nim simply turned around and continued on her business. "You're the first person I've see all night." She called behind her. "And I wouldn't go that way if I were you." She turned a corner, disappearing from his sight.

The boy shivered from the encounter. "She could freeze an ocean with that cold shoulder." He sarcastically remarked, but then decided to continue the way Cid pointed him to. His friends are bound to be here, one way or another.

Nim walked up to the door of the Synthesis shop and knocked on it. "Grimo? Mog? Montblanc? Are you guys okay in there?" She heard nothing for a second. Becoming slightly worried, she knocked again.

"Hello again, Kupo." Nim looked down to find one of the Moogles tugging at her scarf. Like the rest of his strange little race, he is small, with white fur that is best described as "fuzzy" rather than "fluffy." He has that same bulbous red nose and those tiny black dots for eyes. And finally there is their signature pink pom-pom that dangles on their heads and the adorably small purple bat wings.

"Hey there, Stiltzkin." Nim said with a smile as she bent down to pet the adorable creature's head. "Hey, do you know if your brothers are alright in there? They're not answering."

Stiltzkin nodded his head, his pom-pom bobbling back and forth for a moment. "They're fine, Kupo! They were up all night working on their recipes again. They're just sleeping it off, Kupo."

Nim nodded with a smile. "Thank, Stiltzkin." She stood and continued her patrol. She waved back at the small creature. "Give Gurdy my best!" The Moogle waved back at her and continued on his own little walk, his adorable feet making cute button noises with every step.

Nim headed down the steps and looked over the courtyard. Miss Dunois by the pub seems all right, in her own way, since she's always looking for someone to gossip with. Danny is still sulking by the light post, like he has been ever since he arrived over a month ago. Poor kid really misses his parents. Well, he better get in line.

The weirdo by the door to the Third District is still trying to keep people from sneaking past him. It's stupid, because Cid already boarded it up and no one is going to be getting through there from this side. "Gilman." Nim called to the man, making him flinch. "Where's your brother? He isn't off trying to fight the Heartless again, is he?"

"I-I'm not sure." He said. Nim frightens him. In fact, Nim frightens almost every one in town. She's a brilliant mage, and despite her inability to use blizzard magic, she has a very cold attitude. She just doesn't do very well with people, she guessed.

"Well, if you see him, and that's if he hasn't been turned into a Heartless by now, tell him to get home." Nim said, turning around to go check on Cid, and then the triplets. "There's a lot of Heartless going around, and I wouldn't be surprised if they…" Just then, a large group of Shadows appeared behind Danny, startling the boy.

"Everyone, get to your houses!" Nim called out, everyone running around. "Lock your doors and turn on every light you have! Do not let a single shadow in!"

Nim twirled her scepter around, and it extended out into a staff that stands just as tall as her. She became surrounded, so she focused a blast of electrical magic into her staff. "Thunder!" She slammed it down, obliterating the Heartless surrounding her. One slipped past once the magic faded and scratched at her leg. "Hey!" She yelled in frustration before crushing the creature underneath her boot.

More and more came out of the darkness. She spun her staff around in lightning fast motions, whacking Heartless into the air and one by one obliterating them with a small electrical blast. But it seemed as though the more she destroyed, the more showed up.

Getting tired as she continued to get surrounded, she finally reached the end of her patience. "That… is… it!" She screamed, blowing back a number of them with her energy. Fire began to surround her in a circle, and the Heartless seemed to cower in fear. Some of them seemed to even be trying to slip away. "Oh, you're not getting away from me." She said, fire pouring out of her hands, and even her hair seemed to be made of flames. "All of you… can go straight to Hell!"

" _Firaza!_ " The fire surrounded her in a sphere of heat, before expanding and engulfing all of the Heartless in the area. he fire grew into a massive tornado of flame before eventually fading away. It seemed to have done the trick, but she fell to her knees from exhaustion. That was a fourth-tier fire spell, of which only a handful of people can use, so her being completely drained is understandable.

She looked up to find the boy from earlier, who seemed completely awestruck by what had just happened. She then turned her attention to the key-shaped sword in his hand.

Nim felt as if the entire world froze as she looked upon the blade. She looked up at the boy and pushed the hair out of her eyes. "You…" She said, slowly getting up to her knees. This seemed to frighten the boy, so he ran into Cid's shop to seek shelter from the frightening girl. "Idiot. Why did he run?" She had no idea how she looked right now. Anger and literal smoke rising off the body did not mix well.

As she was about to run into the shop, she was stopped when she heard someone call her name. "Nim." She looked over to see Leon standing there with his Gunblade in hand. "Head to the Hotel."

The girl scoffed. "I need to see something first."

"Now." Leon demanded, the young man walking forward and putting a key in her hand. "You're exhausted. You'll get to see the Keyblade soon enough. Go meet with Yuffie in the red room of the Hotel." He clearly wasn't taking no for an answer.

Nim finally sighed, tapping her staff against the ground, letting it retract back to its scepter form. "I am going to be the first to examine it." She said. "I need to make sure it's the real thing."

Leon laughed as she walked away. "I wouldn't trust anyone else such an important job."

After she left, Leon waited patiently for the boy to exit Cid's. The last time he fought in Cid's shop, the old man practically blasted a hole in the wall with all the screaming he did.

After a few minutes, Sora poked his head out the door to see if the coast was clear and the scary girl was no longer there. When he told Cid about her, the man just laughed it off. "Aw, she ain't gonna hurt you, kid!" He said with that raspy voice of his. "She harmless! Well… mostly."

Sora stepped outside. "They'll come at you out of nowhere." Leon said, startling Sora.

"What?" Sora said, drawing the Keyblade.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you wield the Keyblade." Leon continued, disregarding Sora's rather sloppy defensive stance. "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"

After the conversation ended, Sora started a fight, thinking the man was trying to take his only means of protection away from him. Although Sora put up a good fight, he ended up running out of steam, collapsing from exhaustion.

"Aww, you're slipping, Leon." A girl called from behind the young man. He turned to see Yuffie standing there. The self-proclaimed "Great Ninja" smiled at him, not in a mocking way, but with her usual genuine cheerful attitude.

"I went easy on him." Leon said as he stood up, putting his blade away and massaging his shoulder. "Looks like thing are worse than we thought. A lot worse." He walked up and picked Sora's unconscious form up, throwing him over his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know." Yuffie said, throwing her hands behind her back and following Leon. "It probably isn't too bad if he put up a fight against you."

"He was terrified of Nim." Leon said with a smirk, which in turn made Yuffie laugh. "Then again, who isn't?"

"She's going to be really eager to see him." Yuffie said with a teasing giggle. "She's been in love with the 'Keyblade Wielder' since she first read that book about it." She laughed again, but this time rather nervously. "She isn't going to be too ecstatic about the 'Wielder' part, I'm afraid."


	3. Off we go!

So, how is everyone? I know don't upload too often, and so, in celebration for my sudden return, this one is going to be a little longer.

Nim: What's there to celebrate? I'm sure everyone expected a thousand years before your next upload.

Me: Hey! There's no need to be so... prickly. *grins*

Nim: Well, folk, dont expect any more uploads for quite, for our dear and stupid author is going to be in recovery for a while.

Me: Meep!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Heart or any of its lovely characters... and Donald. I do own my OC, and all the prickly-ness she has to offer! *Dodges fireball* Ha-Ha! Missed me, Nim!

* * *

"Incredible!" Nim could practically scream as she looked over the Keyblade leaning against the wall. Leon told her she couldn't touch it, at least until the boy woke up, but she can settle with just looking at it for now. "It's absolutely incredible! This the real thing!"

"How do you know?" Yuffie asked as she continued to stare at Sora's sleeping form. She sat on the table in the room, her feet kicking back and forth from boredom.

Nim looked over it from behind her glasses, which she made to be able to act as magnifying glasses should she wish it. "The metal of the blade is similar to silver, but something much more rare." She looked up at the handle. "This isn't gold. No, it's likely… It's not anything I've ever seen."

She pulled a paper from her pocket, holding it over the part of the key that would usually go into a keyhole. "While the rest of the weapon would probably be best suited for blunt force, this…" She dropped the paper and it sliced clean in half over the edges. "Magnificent. Not to mention the magic that is just radiating off of it is giving me tingles! Its no wonder the Heartless seem drawn to it."

"Keep your tingles to yourself, cause he's waking up." Yuffie said as she jumped down and walked over, only to be pushed out of the way by Nim. "Hey!"

"Yuffie…" Leon said simply, and with the simple nod of his head, she backed off.

Nim watched him as he stubbornly fought off waking. "Honestly, it's like he is used to napping this long." At the sound of a girl's voice, Sora slowly began to open his eyes. "Come on, lazy bum. Wake up!" The boy sat up and shook his head, trying to gather his wits. He looked at Nim in a very confused manner, but little does she know, he sees someone else. Feeling slight sympathy for him, she sighed. "You okay?"

"I guess…" The boy replied as he gave a slightly familiar smile. If she didn't know any better, it was almost as if boy felt familiar with her. She guessed an explanation would likely be due.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." She explained, getting kind of giddy, even though this is a very serious matter they are discussing. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

The boy seemed to completely dismiss the conversation entirely as he smiled wide at her. "I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi."

"The hell?" Nim said as she sat straight up, straightening her glasses. "Who's Kairi? The name's Nim."

"What?" Sora shook his head in confusion, squinting at the girl before him. The vision of Kairi turned into Nim, and at the sight of her, Sora jumped back, falling off the bed. He peaked over the bed to see the scary girl staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I think you might've overdone it, Squall." Yuffie said with a playful smile.

"That's Leon." Leon corrected.

Sora seemed to completely dismiss him when he saw his weapon leaning against the wall. "Hey, that's mine!"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Yuffie said with a half-hearted smile. "We had to get it away from you. It turns out, that's how they were tracking you."

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them." Leon continued, sighing. "But it won't work for long." He picked up the Keyblade, holding it out and examining it as if there were a glass window in front of it. "Still, hard to believe that you, of all people, are the chosen one." He scoffed as he struck the Keyblade out, and it disappeared from his hand in a flash of light, startling the boy as it reappeared in the same manner in his own hands. "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?" Sora said, starting to get frustrated.

Yuffie looked at Nim, instantly scowling at the sight that girl was taking down notes in a small journal. "Incredible!" The girl whispered to herself, as she jotted down the notes, in an excited tone that Yuffie was sure she was physically incapable of. "Instant dematerialization when handled by anyone that isn't the intended wielder. An incredible defense mechanism!" Yuffie sighed. "The Keyblade is incredible!"

"So, this is a Keyblade." Sora said as he looked at the weapon in fascination. "And what does all of this have to do with me?" Yuffie and Sora were startled by the sound of Nim slamming her notebook shut.

They looked at her as she removed her glasses. Her face remained impassive as she said, "This has everything to do with you." She said, cleaning her glasses with a rag. She continued once she placed them back on her face. She pointed to the Keyblade. "The Keyblade is the ultimate weapon against the Heartless."

"Heartless?" Sora asked. He heard them talk about it before, but he doesn't really know what they are.

"Those without hearts." Leon said simply.

Yuffie shook her head. "That much was obvious, Squall." Leon growled at her for using his real name. "The darkness in people's hearts—that's what attracts them."

"And there is darkness within every heart." Nim said with melancholy as she felt her scarf where her locket was underneath. It got a bit quiet in there, as even Sora, who was the only one in the room who didn't know why the girl hurt, could feel the energy that was building.

So, Yuffie decided to change the subject. "Hey, have you ever heard of a guy named Ansem?" The sound of Nim scoffing, her sorrow quickly turning to anger, was enough to bring what little energy was in the room back.

"Who?" Sora asked.

"That man is of no concern at the moment." Nim said. At the sight of Leon glare, she sighed. "But, I suppose, his reports do pose some importance." Sora looked to Leon for a more detailed explanation.

"Ansem was a… researcher from our world." Leon explained. "He composed a small series of reports, detailing the research he did on the Heartless, the heart, and the heart of the worlds. At least… they should."

Sora quirked his brow at the young man. "What do you mean 'should'?"

"They were scattered across the worlds!" Yuffie said as she stood from the bed, stretching her arms. "When our world was destroyed, his reports flew off like pigeons in the wind, gone to other worlds."

"Then how do you know so much about the Keyblade?" Sora asked as he looked among the three.

Yuffie smiled up at Nim. "You can thank our local scholar for that one." She laughed. "Thanks to her obsession with the Keyblade Wielder stories, we know just about every…" Nim's staff crashed into the floor where Yuffie was standing a second ago, the girl now hiding underneath the table.

Sora decided it would probably be best to move on, ignoring the practically glowing blush on Nim's face. "So, how is this and ultimate weapon against the Heartless?" Sora said, holding up the large key.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade." Leon said, turning around and heading to stand in front of the door. "That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what."

"Well, I didn't ask for this." Sora complained, flinching slightly as Nim gave him a look that could either anger or disappointment.

She walked up to him, bringing him up to his feet by his shirt, glaring at him. "The Keyblade chooses its master." She said, letting go of his shirt and poking him in the chest. "And it chose you, so you had better get used to it." She sighed, turning around and leaning on the wall in the corner.

"Was… was it something I said?" Sora whispered to Yuffie, trying to understand Nim's sudden hostility.

Yuffie looked at her, then looked to Leon, who nodded to her. "Nim has always wanted to meet the Keyblade Wielder." She said. "Imagine the kind of disappointment she must be feeling when the fated wielder is a Kid who is barely younger than her, and he doesn't even want it."

"I-I didn't say I didn't want it." He said with a sigh as he looked at the Keyblade. "It's just that… it all happened so fast. My home… my friends…"

Hearing this, Nim seemed to have softened up a bit, but not completely relent. But then Sora suddenly jumped up from the bed. "Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island?" He grew more sullen. "Riku! Kairi…"

"You know what?" Leon said, closing his eyes in thought. "I really don't know."

Not knowing what else to do, Sora decided to ask some more questions about the Keyblade. He walked up to Nim as Leon and Yuffie began discussing things with each other. The girl seemed to be putting something in a box, and then she locked it. Sora looked at her curiously, jumping back when he saw the girl destroy the key in the palm of her hand with a small flame.

"I know what you are going to ask me." Nim said as she wiped the ashes from her hand, smiling at the boy. He lightly blushed at the girl, as she has a very pretty smile. She should do it more often. "I can only tell you about the Keyblade from what I've read in books, and there aren't many on it."

Sora only nodded his head with optimism. "Anything would help."

Nim then nodded excitedly, gesturing to the box, which would actually be more accurately described as a chest. "Well, the first thing I can think of is how the Keyblade is said to be able to open any lock."

Sora walked up to the chest and materialized the Keyblade. He looked at the lock, then to the Keyblade, then back to the lock. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Nim's smile slightly faded, as she now realized that the keyhole is far too small. Then she just shrugged. "I… I don't really know. Why don't you try hitting it or something?"

Sora looked at the chest again, thought for a moment, then just shrugged. He tapped the large key against the chest, and the two of them became excited when the thing popped open, revealing the Hi-potion Nim had placed inside. "It works!" Nim became excited, hopping around for a moment, before quickly jotting it down in her notebook. "This is incredible! I wonder else I read about it is true." Nim looked up to find Leon and Yuffie staring at her, the latter with a big smile on her face. "What?"

"It's been a long time since we've seen that smile." Yuffie said happily. The girl and Nim argued, or rather Yuffie listened as Nim berated her with a blush on her face.

Leon pulled Sora to the side. "The Heartless can come at any moment." He said sternly. "I hope you're ready." After a minute, Sora smiled up at the man, nodding. Squall smirked, looking up to speak to Yuffie. "Yuffie, Nim, let's go meet up with…"

"Leon!" Yuffie said as a Heartless appeared in front of her and Nim. This one is different from the Shadows. It is slightly larger and standing on two feet, not slouched like the smaller Heartless type. It appears to be wearing a helmet of sorts, as well as some kind of tunic and armored pants. Nim has dubbed them the "Soldier" class.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon yelled, the girl rushing through the door, Nim hearing as Aerith called for the girl, as well as what sounded like… a duck?

In a quick action, Nim unclipped her scepter from her side, lengthening it to be a staff, and knocked the Heartless out the window. "Nim…" Nim looked at Leon, who nodded at her. "You know the drill." Nim nodded in return, kicking the exit to the room open and jumping out into the alleyway from the balcony, Leon doing the same with the window.

Sora quickly followed Nim out the door, jumping down the balcony, landing on his backside as they quickly finished off three other Heartless. Nim headed forward, going to a door and trying to get it open. Sora tried to follow her, but then Leon called, "Sora!" Sora looked behind him at the man. "Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader and take it out, and they should subside. Nim usually does it, but she can use your help." Sora nodded, following closely behind Nim as she got the door open, revealing that it lead to the Second District.

"So, how do we find something like this?" Sora asked as he and Nim ran through the alleys between other shops and houses.

Nim was about to strike down a Soldier-type, but Sora got to it first, surprising the girl with the quick action on his part. "In my personal experience, they usually gather where more Heartless are prone to spawn. Best bet would be the Third District."

The two of them headed towards a door with a large "3" above it. They went in, finding it surprisingly calm. They walked down the steps. Nim stopped before the squared off area, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the darkness. She definitely feels it strongest in this area, but for some reason, there is nothing here.

Sora walked forward to examine area for any hiding places. It is then that there is some kind of noise that sounds like a mixture of awkward screaming and squawking, followed by Sora being used as a landing cushion for… a duck… and a dog?

Donald and Goofy, still slightly disoriented from their fall, didn't really notice that they landed on someone until they saw that this someone was holding a massive key. Instantly thinking of the message from King Mickey, they both said in excitement, "The Key!"

Nim didn't have time to be confused, as she soon found herself being lifted into the air, a platform rising from the ground underneath her feet. They rose from all sides and in front of the locked door to the First District. "Stupid defense mechanism!" Nim said as she pounded the platform underneath her as Heartless began appearing all around Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "You've gone and trapped them in there with a bunch of Heartless!"

"Nim!" Aerith called, getting the girl's attention just as she was about to jump down and help them. Nim jumped down on the opposite side of the square and joined Aerith and Leon, Yuffie joining them shortly. "Let Sora handle this." Aerith said softly. "We need to see what he can and can't handle."

Nim was about to protest, but Leon put his hand on her shoulder. "Trust him." Leon said, and they all looked over the balcony to see Sora battling the Heartless.

To Nim's surprise, Sora seems to be handling himself very well. Granted, he is a complete amateur, and his moves are sloppy, but he seems to be able to get the job done. And it helps that the duck and the dog are doing pretty well, the duck seeming to be an adept mage, the dog being none too shabby with that shield of his. Once all the Heartless were gone, they finally got a break. "Woo! They did it!" Yuffie danced around and praised.

Nim wasn't so sure though. "No." Nim said as her eyes closed. "It isn't over yet." It was quiet for the longest time as everyone looked to Nim for info. She suddenly shot her eyes open, looking above. "Heads up!"

Sora jumped out of the way as a large suit of armor came crashing down from the sky. Everyone stood still, as the armor seemed to be doing the same; merely remaining on the ground in a mess. And then in a single moment, the armor pieces began to shake before suddenly floating in the air.

"No." Nim said with fear in her voice. "Sora can't handle that! It's a Boss Type!"

"Trust him." Aerith said with a smile, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Although he's new at this kind of thing, the Keyblade chose him for a reason." She watches as Sora, Donald and Goofy struggled against the large suit of armor.

Nim looked at the young woman. She looked at Sora as he took out one of the armors gauntlets, only to be knocked to the ground by the other one. She smiled. "Aerith." The young woman looked at the smiling girl, who then smacked her hand off of her shoulder. "You should know by now…" Aerith looked at her with shock as the smiling girl jumped on the edge of the stair's railing. "I don't trust anyone."

Nim then jumped into the air, doing a back flip. Sora watched from underneath her, and for him the world slightly slowed. The way she caught the light as she pulled out her staff, her hair flowing in the air, her hand glowing as she… wait, glowing?!

Sora watched in amazement as Nim, not even touching the ground yet, focused a blast of lighting onto her staff and released it at the Heartless, which she dubbed the "Guard Armor" in her head. "Thunder!" She yelled as the blast came out, missing the torso, but subsequently obliterating both of its feet. She landed on her feet, quickly walking up to Sora. "Hurry! To your feet, Keyblade Wielder!"

Sora just stood there for a second, staring at her in amazement, before shaking his head to compose himself. He grabbed her hand that she held out to him, jumping to his feet. "Thanks!" He said with a big smile on his face.

"You can thank me later." Nim said firmly, looking to the Guard Armor as the dog knocked the last hand to the ground, the duck destroying it with a minor fire spell. Now only the Torso remained, and even though they can't see the face of the Heartless, by the way it's shaking, they can tell that it's angry.

"Drink this." Nim said as she handed Sora a small bottle filled a green liquid. Sora recognized it as a smaller version of the bottle of liquid he got from the chest earlier. He looked at her with confusion. "It's just a normal potion." She looked at him, pointing to his forehead. He reached up and felt it, wincing at the sharp pain that followed. He looked at his finger t find some blood. "It has a small healing effect, but it should be more than enough for now."

Sora nodded his head, popping the cork off the bottle, taking it back. "Oh my…" He could almost gag at the horrible taste. "Nim, are you trying to poison me? Nim?" He looked just in time to find Nim running straight for the spinning torso. "Nim!" He rushed after her, Keyblade in hand.

"Duck. Dog." Nim said, getting their attention. "Try to distract it long enough for me and Sora do deal the finishing blow."

"Who are you to give us orders?" The duck said with a very apparent lisp.

"Better do what she says, Donald." The dog said, making a "hyuk" noise that Nim guessed was his laugh. "She seems like she knows what she's talkin' about."

"Ah, what do you know, ya big Palooka." Donald said with a grumble, him and the dog doing as Nim instructed. "Fire!" Donald yelled, hitting the Torso in the helmet, getting its attention. It turned toward the duck, floating higher into the air, before slamming down. It would have crushed the duck if the dog didn't hold it back with his shield.

"Ya gotta be more careful." The dog said with a goofy grin.

"What's the plan?" Sora asked Nim, who was analyzing the Torso's movements. As she suspected, getting rid of its limbs made it desperate. It slams down and attempts to crush its enemies like it had the feet do, but that damages itself. It spins at incredible speeds, which would likely cause massive damage, but also leaves it vulnerable.

Nim nodded her head, thinking up a good plan. "Sora, I need you to aim for its head." She called out to the other two. "I need you guys to focus all your attacks the body! Sora and me will get the head. That's the weak point!" She looked to Sora. "Ready?"

With everyone working together, with Nim's direction, the Torso soon came crashing down on the ground, not getting back up. Nim smiled at the sight of a heart floating to the sky, signifying that the battle was over. And sure enough, the walls on the corners of the area came down as well.

"We did it!" Sora jumped in celebrated. He went to give Nim a high-five, but she just stared at him with disinterest. He looked at her curiously; his hand still rose. He then smiled at her, grabbing her hand and clapping it against his. "Smile a little. It's good for you."

"Hmph." Nim said, putting her hand on her hips. "Careful. Keyblade Hero or not, I won't show mercy if you annoy me." Sora still just smiled at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" The duck said as he approached Sora, the dog following suit. "We need to have a word with you."

"Try being a bit nicer, Donald." Goofy said with a chuckle, earning a complaint from the duck, or "Donald".

"Nim!" Nim turned at the sound of her name to find Aerith walking up to her with Leon and Yuffie. The girl expected some kind of lecture, or perhaps even a slap to the face, but Aerith merely paused while standing in front of her before crushing the girl in a hug. "Don't do that ever again!" Nim was shocked by the embrace, blushing slightly because of the embarrassment from feeling kind of guilty for making her worry.

"Alright, alright!" Nim said, nudging Aerith off of her. She and Yuffie were smiling at the girl, the ever stoic Leon doing his version of a smile, so she looked away to avoid contact. "I'm sorry, ok?"

"It's alright." Aerith said, putting her hand on Nim's shoulder. "We're just glad we're alright."

"Yeah!" Yuffie said with a grin. "You gotta be more careful, though! We don't know what we would do without our braniac little sister around."

Nim blushed again, but this time it was with anger. "H-Hey!" She yelled. "I don't know when you got the idea that I liked you people, let alone considered you my family, but just perish the thought!" She then walked up to Yuffie, flicking the girl on the forehead, making her pout. "Besides, I'm older then you."

While rubbing her forehead, Yuffie glared up at the girl. "A month doesn't count."

"You've been looking for me?" Sora said, almost yelled, in disbelief. This caught everyone else's attention as the duck nodded his head.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Leon said, getting Sora's attention, Yuffie nodding her head at his words. Nim looked to the duck and the dog, wondering what they would want with the wielder of the Keyblade. She then remembered that Aerith told her about a King that had visited them, inquiring about the same thing. These two must be associated with him in some way.

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" The dog said with a goofy smile. "We can go to other worlds on out vessel!"

Nim became suddenly downtrodden at the sound of that offer. She knew that she was going to have to say goodbye to the young wielder eventually, but she didn't think it would be so soon. She wished she could have studied the Keyblade for a little longer. _Everyone leaves_. She thought to herself, slipping away from the group while they were distracted by Sora making some kind of ridiculous face. "The Keyblade Hero is no different."

"Okay, why not?" Sora said with a grin. "I'll go with you guys!"

The duck held his wing out. "Donald Duck."

"Name's Goofy." The dog said as he followed Donald's action.

"I'm Sora." Sora put his hand in as well, smiling at them as they did the same. Donald and Goofy began having their own little celebration for getting Sora to join their group as he turned around. "Hey, Nim, how about…?" His smile faded when he saw that she wasn't there.

Aerith looked around, surprised that Nim wasn't there as well. "Oh no." She said with a sigh. "Sora, why don't you and everyone else head to the first district?" The boy looked at her with a bemused expression, but the girl only smiled at him. "Make sure not to leave before we have a chance to say goodbye, alright." With that, she walked up the steps to the door to the second district.

* * *

Aerith opened the door to the library to find Nim sitting in her lounge chair on the floor level, her reading another book about the Keyblade Wielder. Aerith shook her head at how obviously downtrodden the girl was, but was hiding it behind a stoic expression. She sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Nim said sternly.

"Something is wrong." Aerith continued, pulling a stool to sit in front of the girl. When the girl still didn't look at her, she gently pulled the book away and set on the floor next to her. "I know you, Nim. Something is upsetting you, and I think I know what." The girl scowled at her. "Make that face at me all you like, it isn't going to change the fact that you want to leave Traverse Town."

Nim looked at her with a shocked expression. "H-How…?"

"Because I know you." Aerith smiled at her before giggling. "Plus, I saw you dancing with your test dummy one time, saying how much wanted to go on an adventure with him."

Nim's face became flush red, not really able to find the words about how embarrassed she is. But then her blush faded, her face becoming sullen once again. "But I can't just leave, can I?" She stood up, straightening her glasses and her scarf as she began heading for her staircase. "Without me, when are you guys going to know when the Darkness starts to pour in?" She chuckled, albeit bitterly. "You guys would be lost without me."

"Oh, I think we'll do just fine once you're gone." Aerith said nonchalantly, catching Nim off guard just as she put her hand on the stair railing. She turned around and looked at the young woman. "What are you waiting for?" She smiled at her. "You've got some packing to do."

Nim brightened up in a smile, quickly rushing up to her room. She grabbed a simple knapsack and put a couple potions inside, packing an extra quill-pen and her notebook, as well as her journal.

Nim looked at her nightstand next to her bed, walking over and grabbing the book off of it. It is her favorite book about the Keyblade Hero. She held it close to her chest before packing it away into the bag. "Finally." She said, rushing down the stairs and joining Aerith at the door. She looked back at the library for a moment before shutting the lights off. "Its time for me to go on my adventure!"

* * *

Sora, Donald and Goofy turned around when Aerith and Nim came down the steps to greet that in District 1. "Hey!" Nim said with a grin, throwing her knapsack to Donald, who barely caught it in time, but with a surprised "wak!". She smiled, straightening her glasses. "I'm coming with you guys."

"What?" Donald said with shock, looking at her from behind her knapsack. "No way! We don't need anyone else on this trip!"

Goofy scratched his head. "Why the sudden interest, uh…" He squinted his eyes as he attempted to remember her name. "Kim?"

"Nim!" She quickly corrected the dog, who soundly apologized with a chuckle. She sighed, looking down at Donald. "Listen here, Duck…" She said firmly. "I don't care what you think." As Donald practically began to steam, the girl looked to Sora, her expression turning slightly sheepish. "But… if you don't want me coming, Sora, then I'll understand."

Sora looked to Donald and Goofy; Donald grunting and looking away, clearly not happy with the idea, while Goofy was just the opposite. After thinking about it, he held his hand out to her with a grin on his face. "Well, I don't see a problem with it. To tell you the truth, I was gonna ask you anyway." Nim smiled widely, internally celebrating while remain composed on the outside. Finally, her dream is about to come true, and she is going to go on an adventure with the Keyblade Hero.

She smiled sweetly at Sora, grabbing his hand. "Let's go, then!"

* * *

Well? I hope you all loved it! Cookies for anyone who leaves a positive review! Bad reviews might get a cookie, too, but I can't guarantee you'll be feeling too good after eating it.

Nim: There you go with the bribes again.

Me: *grins* You can prove nothing.


	4. Gummi, Stir-fry, and Magic, Oh My!

Me:...

Also Me:...

Still Me:...

So... How ya been?

Nim: *Summons ball of fire* Where the hell have you been!?

Me: I can explain!

Disclaimer: Disney and Square Enix are the rightful owners of all content and characters pertaining to the Kingdom Hearts property. The only thing that belongs to me is my amazing, wonderful, incredibly beautiful and not at all homicidal OC!

Nim: Now I'm only going to kill you harder!

* * *

"Hold on!" Aerith said just as Nim was about to rush out the door that led to outside the town. It is mostly forests outside, and dark ones at that, making the ultimate breeding ground for lesser Heartless, so people usually avoid going out; but that also makes it ideal place to hide a Gummi Ship from prying eyes.

The young beauty walked up to Sora and slipped a small pouch in his hand. He looked at the object with curiosity as she smiled sweetly at him. "It's a little Munny we threw together to help you get started." Sora looked inside and counted up to a good 500 Munny. "Use it to prepare for your journey."

Sora nodded his head with a smile before putting the pouch in one of his many pockets. "Thanks!"

Leon walked up to Nim and pulled her to the side for a moment. "What's up?" She asked, surprised by his sudden action.

"You're strong, Nim. It's a good thing you're going with him." He said in a hush tone, looking back to see Goofy giving the boy a tutorial on defense. "You need to protect the Keyblade Wielder, no matter what."

Nim raised a brow at the young man. Despite her initial confusion though, she understood. The Keyblade Wielder might be tough, but the worlds are more dangerous than he might think. "Without him, the worlds are lost." Leon said, looking at the boy.

Nim smiled up at Leon. "You're just a big softie, aren't you, Squall."

"And you're as cuddly as cactus." He retorted, making the girl punch him in the arm.

"You four take care, now." Aerith said as she hugged Nim, before moving to tussle Sora's hair. She smiled as her, Leon, and Yuffie all headed back to the third district.

Nim watched them leave, an unexpected smile creeping on her lips.

After a while of perusing the different shops in the first district, having a rather comical encounter with Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie involving the lack of "family discounts", and Nim and Sora saying goodbye to Cid, the four of them headed for the door. Nim was all gung ho to leave, but she paused once she reached the door. She turned around and looked at the trio behind, who were giving her curious looks as she walked behind them.

She stood there for a moment as she looked around the area, taking a nice long look at it all. After a deep breath, she bowed. "Thank you, Traverse Town." She said quietly. "For everything."

"Ready to go?" Nim stood straight and turned around to find Sora smiling at her. "We'll come back, I promise!"

Nim smiled and nodded her head, walking past them again and pushing open the door leading outside. Waiting right outside is the so-called "vessel" that Donald and Goofy were talking about.

Nim stopped short as she looked up at the ship, Sora stopping next to her as the duck and dog passed them. "It looks… er…" Sora was trying to find the right words.

"Like an inept child made it out of wooden blocks." Nim finished for him, only she made it sound much meaner than Sora would have put it.

Donald heard this and turned around, putting his hands to his hips. "Well, if you don't like it, then you don't have to come." He turned back around and walked up to the ship, putting his hand on an unseen button, opening the hatch leading inside.

Sora and Nim looked at each other for a minute, then back at the ship. Finally, they just shrugged and headed inside, followed by Goofy, who was patiently waiting for the two teens. Nim felt like she was going to get along with him, but her and the duck may have some problems. Call it a "rivalry between mages."

"So, how fast can this thing go?" Sora excitedly asked, looking around at the inside of the ship. It is much bigger than the outside would suggest. Nim couldn't help but notice the floor seems rather… bouncy. It isn't quite like a trampoline, but it was still odd for her not to be standing on something she isn't as solid as she is used to.

She and Sora walked up to what looks like the door to the hall that leads to the "rooms". At the moment, there are four rooms, making it the perfect amount for the current occupants of the ship, but Goofy said that they could add rooms with what he calls a "Modifier Gummi". He didn't go into too much detail about it, because Donald interrupted him. "You two get settled. We take off in ten minutes!"

Nim jokingly saluted the duck, making him grumble under his breath. Sora chuckled at the action, but whistled nonchalantly when the duck glared at him.

Nim and Sora chose the rooms next to each other and the two of them began to examine their rooms. Nim was satisfied with hers. The bed was built into the wall and made of what looks like a cloudy fabric, the blanket folded neatly next to it. There are a multitude of drawers on the far wall, and a section of the wall emptied out in order to be used as a wardrobe. The entire room itself is a good size and looks like it was made of plastic, but when she put her hand on the wall, it has a more rubbery feel to it.

"Weird, but livable." She said to herself with a chuckle. She went over to a small screen on the wall and saw that it some sort of "customization" screen. She tapped it and found that she is able to modify the room if she wants.

Quickly figuring it out, she redesigned the room to be in her image. She kept the blue theme, but lowered the bed to the floor and added a hanging lamp above it, so she could read when it was darker. She added a few bookshelves, as there was no way she wouldn't be leaving every world they visit without a book or two from there. She added a carpet, which was strange to see it just coming up from the floor like grass, but she liked the deep red color it gave the room.

She was unpacking her few belongings, including the few changes of outfits she grabbed at the last minute, when she heard the duck's rather irate voice over some sort of loudspeaker. "We're taking off soon. Everyone, to the cockpit!"

"Some subtitles would be appreciated when that guy talks." She sighed, putting down the little dress she had in her hands in the drawer. She headed out to find that Sora and Goofy were already there.

When she walked up to them, she noticed there was something on the control panel. It was a little green bug that seemed to be wearing a suit and a top hat. It looked up at her, and she glared down at it. "Oh, looks like you guys have an infestation. She pulled out her staff. "I got it."

"Gyah!" The little bug yelled as he hopped straight onto Sora's shoulder for protection. "Hold on there, little missy! I'm no pest!"

"It… talks?" Nim said as she put her staff down.

"Cricket's the name: Jiminy Cricket!" He said with pride, puffing out his tiny chest and pressing his little umbrella against Sora's shoulder. "I'm here to chronicle this here journey in my journal, by order of Queen Minnie!"

Sora chuckled, extending his finger to the cricket for a handshake. "I'm Sora, and this is Nim." He held out his hand and Jiminy hopped on it. "She's not so bad once you get to know her."

"And just when did you 'get to know' me, hm?" Nim said, impatiently tapping her foot against the bouncy Gummi floor.

"Enough talking!" Donald said as he took his seat at the pilot's seat, Goofy sitting in the co-pilot's chair. "Wearing taking off soon, so you too buckle up."

Two chairs rose from the floor, Nim and Sora sitting down in them and strapping themselves in for the bumpy ride. "Sor, do you mind?" Jiminy said, pointing to Sora's hood.

"Oh, go ahead!" He said, the Cricket nodding with a smile. He jumped up and snuggled cozily into the hood, out of Nim's sight. She has a feeling she won't really be seeing too much of him on this journey.

Nim then looked to see that Sora was looking a bit nervous, squeezing the arms of his seat rather subtly. The Duck and the Dog were making preparations for liftoff, so she decided to try and comfort him. "Flying isn't so bad."

"You've done it before?" Sora asked, loosening up just a little bit.

"Yeah, when I was younger." She said, hiding the pain of recounting the sad reasons she was in a Gummi ship before. "Cid brought me and the gang here… some time ago on his Gummi." She looked around coyly. She whispered to him, "It looked way cooler, though."

"I heard that!" Donald yelled as he pulled on a lever. Whatever he pulled caused the ship to jolt, as it was now taking off.

"Hold on, everybody!" Goofy yelled as he pushed a button, causing the ship to shoot forward, the Dog screaming oddly as they went.

* * *

The ship rocked as they hit a meteor, the heartless ships behind them quickly closing the distance. "Watch where you're going, Duck!" Nim yelled as she attempted to keep hold of her chair. This is definitely a bumpier ride than when she was first on a Gummi ship.

"Shoot the meteors, Goofy!" Donald ordered, ignoring Nim.

"I'm trying, Donald!" Goofy said as he shot at the oncoming meteors, he hit the ones that were heading straight for them, making them explode on contact. "I got 'em, hyuk!"

"Way to go!" Sora celebrated from his seat. Nim was surprised that he wasn't scared, despite what was going on. He must have really taken what she said to heart. "Can I try flying?"

"No way!" Donald instantly protested the idea of Sora at the helm, which Nim had to admit was a scary idea. Sora doesn't seem like the most… capable person when it comes to things like this.

He pouted, which made Nim laugh. "I'll teach you later." She said, Sora brightening up with a smile. "Cid taught me, so I'm pretty decent at flying, myself." She looked Goofy's way. "And even better with the weapon's system."

"We can take turn, if ya like?" Goofy said earnestly. Nim nodded, liking the idea of blowing some heartless ships to high heaven.

Once they managed to shake the heartless that they weren't able to destroy, Donald put the ship on autopilot. "Radar says there aren't any heartless around." Said Sora, would had been put in charge of monitoring.

"We should arrive at the nearest world in a couple of hours." Donald said as he and Goofy unbuckled. Donald hopped down from his seat while Goofy remained. "We should take the time to get ready. You never know what a world has in store."

"I'll stay here and make sure we don't run into any trouble for now." Goofy said. He looked back at Nim. "We have a fully stocked kitchen if you and Sora want somethin' to nibble on."

At the mention of food, Sora's mouth began to water and his stomach grumbled. He was just now noticing how hungry he was. Nim was too, but she put on airs, as usual. "Sure, I could eat." She said.

They headed back to the kitchen while Goofy remained, and Donald headed down to check and make sure the engines didn't take any damage from the meteors. "Sit down and shut up." Nim suddenly said to Sora. "I'll do the cooking."

"How would you know if I was a bad cook or not?" Sora said with complaint, before perking up at an idea. "Can you read minds?" He asked excitedly, and Nim could practically imagine a tail wagging on him.

Nim chuckled at the mental imagery before shaking her head. "I'm a battle mage, like Donald. I only know attack magic." She looked through the cabinets to see what she could make. Goofy wasn't kidding when he said that the kitchen was fully loaded; it's stocked to the brim! "I'm young, though. If I want to, I could probably pick up other kinds of magic in my off time."

"Cool!" Sora said as he watched her pull out a cutting board and some onions and sausage links. She decided on a quick meat and veggie stir-fry. He smiled bright when she snapped her fingers, lighting the stove as she cut up the onions.

Now that he recalled, she was using fire magic when he met her for the second time. "Can you use anything other than fire? What you did in Traverse Town was cool, so I was wondering if you could do that in other ways."

His curiosity was a bit annoying, but she put up with it. As she cooked, she explained the different kinds of magic there are and how one goes about learning them. "To be a true magician requires years of study and intensive training. I've been practicing since I could practically walk, yet there's still probably a lot I don't know." She explained, adding more veggies into the skillet.

"Really? Like what?" Sora asked.

She filled a glass with water and set it down in front of him. He looked at her curiously as she pointed her palm towards it. "Blizzard." She said, and instantly, the water in the glass froze. Sora's eyes were practically sparkling as he picked up the glass. Indeed, the water had been completely frozen down to the center.

"Don't get too excited." She said, returning to her stir-fry. "That's basically all I can do when it comes to ice magic." She sighed as she added the freshly cut up sausages and some parsley into the mix. "What I wouldn't give for a magic stone."

"A what?" Sora asked, getting even more curious. He set the glass to the side.

"A magic stone." Nim explained, rushing over to the chalkboard that she guessed would usually be used for writing down needed items or maybe even chores. She picked up the chalk and drew a small sphere. She added some small effects to it to give off the appearance that it would glow. "A magic stone is a very rare item that allows the person who uses it to instantly learn a magic that pertains to a specific element."

"Oh!" Sora said, digging into his pocket. It is then that he pulls out a small red stone, about the size of his palm. It glows red and seems to hold flames within it. "You mean like this thing?"

Nim seemed to just stare at him for the longest time before finally reacting. "What?" She yelled, dropping the chalking and running up to him, grabbing his hands and holding the stone up for examination. "I've never even seen one in person! Where did you get this?"

"Donald gave it to me." Sora said, trying not to think about how a pretty girl is holding his hand.

"That damn Duck; he's been holding out on me!" Nim said to herself as she returned to her stir-fry, turning off the fire and moving the skillet. "I'm gonna make some duck stew tomorrow!"

"He said that this is his only one, and that he was kind of hesitant giving it to me." Sora said, looking at the stone. Then it occurred to him what exactly that means. "Wait! Does this mean I can learn magic?"

Nim nodded her head and laughed as he celebrated. "Hold the stone up to your chest. Since that's a fire stone, it will teach you fire magic. It'll be at a novice level, but if you were to _somehow_ get another one, you can upgrade it. But that's highly doubtful."

Sora nodded and did as she said, holding the stone up to his chest. After a moment, Sora watched as the stone fazed into his body. He instantly felt a warm tingle spread throughout his body, making him giggle. Nim nodded. "Magic is activated by concentrating on a specific element, and then releasing it with a corresponding command. The type of command depends on how the magic works a lot of the time." She then paused as she made four separate plates. "Wait until we land, though. We don't want to give the duck a heart attack by setting the kitchen on fire."

"I heard that, Girl." Donald said as the door opened, and he and Goofy walked in.

"Something smells good." Goofy said as he and Donald sat down next to Sora.

Nim set a plate full of steamy meat and veggie stir-fry in front of each of them. "Eat up, boys." She said as she pulled her own plate close to her, deciding to just lean on the counter as she ate.

All three of them took a bite of the stir-fry, each of them having positive reviews of the meal. "This is really good!" Sora said as he scarfed down food at an incredible rate.

Goofy nodded appreciatively as he gently blew on the meal to cool it. Donald, playing coy, just said, "It's passable." Though he had to admit, it was really tasty for something just thrown together. "What's for dinner tomorrow."

"Duck stew." Nim said, Donald beginning to choke on his food. She grinned as she ate. This journey is gonna be fun.

* * *

So, long time coming, huh? Sorry about the wait guys, if any of you are still out there! I've been going through a lot of tough stuff lately, as well as attempting to get own works published that I haven't been really having any time to work on this fic, or my other one. I mainly do this for fun, but I haven't had much time for fun lately. I have time now, so please support me as I continue this journey.

Nim: Give me a reason to kill you, and I will. I won't hesitate.


End file.
